Saudi RHQ Programme: Benefits and How to Qualify

Multinational companies looking to expand across the Middle East can now anchor their operations in Saudi Arabia through the Regional Headquarters (RHQ) programme, a licensing scheme issued by the وزارة الاستثمار via its dedicated RHQ platform. The programme offers a package of tax, labour, and residency incentives aimed at drawing global groups to base their regional command centres in the Kingdom.

To qualify, a multinational group must operate in at least two countries beyond Saudi Arabia and its home market, and maintain a presence across the MENA region carrying out strategic, management, or support functions. The RHQ itself must be set up in the Kingdom either as a registered branch of a foreign company or a Saudi subsidiary, with a physical office serving as the regional centre of administrative authority overseeing at least two regional countries.

Tax and financial incentives

Licensed entities enjoy 0% corporate income tax on income from eligible RHQ activities for 30 years from the licence date, with the possibility of renewal, alongside 0% withholding tax on dividends and other qualifying outbound payments tied to those activities for the same period. Income that falls outside eligible activities remains subject to the standard 20% corporate tax rate.

On the labour side, RHQ staff receive a 10-year exemption from Nitaqat Saudization quotas, expanded work visa allocations, and faster processing for senior executives and their dependents, whose residency age limit rises to 25. Spouses can obtain work permits through the Ajeer programme and are entitled to work in the Kingdom, while most employees are exempt from professional accreditation requirements, except in medical and engineering roles.

Top executives and their families are eligible for premium residency, and RHQ-licensed firms can bid on government and Public Investment Fund tenders — an opportunity generally closed to non-RHQ foreign companies. Some licences also grant an initial allocation of up to 250 work visas from day one, with streamlined iqama and family residency issuance.

For the business community, the programme strengthens Saudi Arabia's position as a regional hub and expands opportunities for skilled expats and their families to settle in the Kingdom.

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